FromeFM is a non-profit

community radio station Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popul ...

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills and on the River Frome, south of Bath. The population of the parish was 28,559 in 2021. Frome was one of the largest tow ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England. It is run by Frome Community Productions

CIC CIC may refer to: Organizations Canada * Cadet Instructors Cadre, a part of the Canadian Armed Forces * Canadian Infantry Corps, renamed in 1947 to Royal Canadian Infantry Corps * Canadian International Council * Canadian Islamic Congress * Chemi ...

and produced by over 80 volunteers. It broadcasts around 65 new programmes per month 24/7 online and on 96.6 MHz FM. FromeFM provides niche music programmes; Frome focussed debates and reportage; sustained support for and coverage of the work of community groups; and radio for children.

History

Frome FM started life as a small project back in 2005 at

Frome Community College Frome Community College, styled as Frome College, is a comprehensive school in Frome, Somerset, England for students aged 13 to 18. Approximately 1,200 were enrolled in December 2021, within the three tier system. Students' studies at the coll ...

. It was resurrected in 2007 by Phil Moakes who, with the help of a small team of volunteers, produced and created varied radio programmes both online and on FM with a

restricted service licence A UK Restricted Service Licence (often called an RSL) is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. Licences are granted by the broadcasting authority Ofcom ...

and broadcast from the attic of the Cheese and Grain. In May 2008, FromeFM was established by Frome Community Productions CIC and moved into premises at The Old Fire Station where the station underwent significant upgrades with the help of fundraisers and sponsors. In September 2009, FromeFM launched FFM – streaming service for mobile phones – to enable listeners to tune in whilst on the move. In 2012, Frome FM was granted a permanent licence by

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...

to broadcast on 96.6 FM from a transmitter placed on top of the Memorial Theatre a short distance away. A launch event was attended by many local celebrities including actor

Mark McGann Mark Anthony McGann (born 12 July 1961) is an English actor. Early life He attended the De La Salle Academy, Liverpool, De La Salle Grammar School, Liverpool. Mark's father Joe was a Royal Naval Commandos, Royal Naval Commando, who landed on ...

, folk singer

Cara Dillon Cara Elizabeth Dillon (born 21 July 1975, in Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish folk singer. In 1995, she joined the folk supergroup Equation and signed a record deal with Warners Music Group. After leaving t ...

and musician

Sam Lakeman Samuel Charles Lakeman (born 6 November 1975) is an English musician, songwriter, and producer and co-owner of Charcoal Records. Lakeman was brought up in the village of Buckland Monachorum, near Yelverton, Devon, Yelverton, Devon, United King ...

. In December 2016 FromeFM moved into temporary accommodation into one of the old prison cells at The Old Police House, also in Christchurch Street West. In April 2017, the station was awarded a 5-year extension to its license from Ofcom and moved its studios again to join local community groups and Frome Town Council in the newly refurbished Town Hall on Christchurch Street West. The studio space was created within a large room on the first floor of the building, from where the team of volunteer producers and presenters now broadcasts. May 2025 the station opened its brand-new Studio 2 in a room next to the existing studio. The upgraded space is equipped with modern DJ and broadcasting equipment, designed to engage both young talent and seasoned voices in the community.

Outside broadcasts

*Frome Question Time – A series of Question Time style events relating to local issues in the down such as the Saxonvale development, 20 mph speed limits and free schools. *Frome Half Marathon – Frome's first 10K and

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

road races attracted around 700 entrants. FromeFM's coverage included an interview with one of the event sponsors, a chat with one of the designated charities who benefited from the money raised and on the spot reportage from the start/finish. * 2012 Olympic torch Relay – The first outside broadcast on 96.6 MHz FM came during test transmissions when the 2012

Olympic flame The Olympic flame is a Olympic symbols, symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony s ...

was carried through the town. There were contributions from the outgoing mayor of Frome, Nick White, a commentary from David Heath MP and interviews with some of the children who turned out to wave flags. *2016 Frome Carnival. Live coverage of the Children's Carnival procession as it wound its way along Christchurch Street West. *2017 - live relay of first Frome Town Council Town Matters meeting from the new Town Hall. *General Election hustings, May 2017. Live coverage of all-party hustings from Frome Town Football Club via microwave links to the studios at the Town Hall. *General Election hustings, July 2024. Live coverage of all-party hustings from Frome Cheese and Grain. https://www.frome.fm/news/frome-hustings-live-stream

Frome Festival

FromeFM provides extensive coverage of the

Frome Festival The Frome Festival (, ) is festival of music and culture held annually in Frome, Somerset, England since 2000. Martin Bax, a former mayor of the town, conceived the Frome Festival and ran it from its inaugural occurrence in 2000 until 2007, fo ...

events each July with daily breakfast shows and outside broadcasts promoting the day's events with features, reviews and interviews about Festival activities and participants.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Frome Community radio stations in the United Kingdom Radio stations in Somerset